Animal trap



J. B. MULHOLLAND ET AL ANIMAL TRAP Filed Dec. 21. 192;

Wgfred rorackeb.

mail

Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. N

TOI-IN B. `IVIULHOLLAND AND ALFRED F. BORSCHEL, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

ANIMAL TRAP.

Application filed December 21, 1921. Serial No. 523,858.

To all Aiti/0m t may concern Be it known that we, JOHN B. MULHOL- LANDand Ami-nan F. BoRsoHnL, citizens of the United States, residing` atBuffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Animal Traps, of which thefollowing is a specification.

`fluiinvention relates to animal traps, and more particularly to whatare generally referred to as steel jump traps.

it is universally acknowledged that the present form of jump trap isinhumane. In fact, reform in the present frightful abuses connected withtrapping is highly desirable and demanded. The extensive trapping underpresent methods results in millions of i small animals beino' caughteach ear b steel traps, for the salie of their furs, and the animals socaught, frequently remain ensnared in these traps for days without foodor water, as the traps do not instantly kill them. Large numbersthereforedie of cold and starvation, as well as the assaults of theiranimal enemies that eat them alive. Many of the animals so trapped havebitten their legs off and gone free, but in doing so: they have notavoided suffering, agony, and terror.

The great objection to the present form of trapping lies in the factthat the animals ensnared linger for many days suffering torture, untilkilled by the trapper. The present system of cruel trapping is the mosteffimiles, taking hundreds of traps with him' cient for the purposeintended, but as universally practiced', is a brutalizing business,particularly for the reason that the professional trapper will cover aterritory of many and setting them at intervals in places that to himappear desirable. For this reason, animals caught in the first traps seton the trip, will Suder for hours and sometimes days before the trapperagain reaches the point to ascertain whether or not the trap has beensnapped and an animal caught therein; the delay Vin ascertaining this,resulting from the fact vthat the trapper covers a considerableterritory exten-ding sometimes from ten to forty or fifty miles, istwo-fold; namely, to trap as many animals as possible within Va giventime, and also to avoid the smell of man about the traps, which wouldexist if a single or only a few traps were` set and constant guard andattention given Vthe traps.

With a view of obviating the above objections, the primary object of ourinvention is the production of a humane trap which will assure almostinstant deathy to the animal trapped.

A further object is ,to provide a trap with means to penetrate the legor foot of an animal and inject a poisonous fluid into the lanimal so asto cause instant or almost instant death. i

A further object of our invention is to apply a fluid-injecting deviceto the present type of steel trap, the device being arranged, inpreferred form, in two coi-acting parts which are snapped upwardly withthe jaws of the trap, one or both parts having fluid ejecting teeth orprongs adapted to be forced into the foot or leg of the animal coming incontact with the detent plate of the trap.

Vlfith the above and other objects in view, our invention consists inproviding a humane trap whereby the torturing of animals is obviated andwhereby the trapped animal is killed almost instantly.

A further object consists in applying fluid-injecting means to a steeltrap, for the purpose of injecting a poisonous fluid into the animaltrapped.

It further consists in equipping a steel trap with co-aoting elementsadapted to be snapped into ensnaring position by the jaws of the trap. f

i It still further consists in the novel features of construction and inthe arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter vdescribedand more particularly pointed o-ut in the subjoined claims.

' It may here he stated from a scientific point of view, that apoisonous fluid that will instant-ly or almost instantly cause death tosmall fur-bearing animals may be such that if a person shouldaccidentally step upon the step plate of the trap and a quantity of thefluid be injected `into such person, the effect,4 although hurtful, willnot be dangerous. It is the intention that each trap have informationattached thereto in reference to the treatment to be applied in suchcases; or, suitable warning signs mayv be placed at suitable pointsaround the trap to inform others in referenceI to the location of thetrap;` or signals of a particular type, without reading matter, may heplaced at ydifferent points around the trap, the meaning of whichsignais `will become generally lniwn. l/v'hile such 'pre'eaiitions inaybe taken, it is not considered necessary, as science has Aprovidediiuidspoisonous to animals which will not be injurious to a human being.

ln the drawings z- Fig. l is a plan view of our improved trap, showingthe siiie'inf-pened position. rig'. A2 is a side elevation of the. same.

Fig. '3 is an 'end view of the saine.

Fig. 2l is a detached perspective view of one of tliepivoted fluidcontainers or punctui'ing elements.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through the trapping jaws land thefluid containers, showing the same in ensnaring lp'sition.

Fig. 6 is 'a rsection taken on line 6-6, Fig.V 7. n

Fig; 7 a section similar to Fig. 5, some- 'what enlargech'with theplunger or piston in normal position, and the o o-acting fluidcontainers approaching fully closed position.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the ends f a trapping arm.

The trap comprises the nsual base plateor support v8 which is formed of'a narrow strip `vof Inetal having its ends bent upwardly, as at 9, each`end being provided with k,two vpivot 4openings into which the pivots 10of the usiial U-'shaped or substantially U-'shaped trapping "jaws 11'are heid- Fastened lcentrally rto the base plate or support 8 andentending'laterally therefrom is' an arm 12 having an upwardlycurvedportion 13 between its ends in 'v vhi'chV is pivotally secured the outerend of an armull exit/ending from the circular steplplate '15,

the arm 14 having'a retainer hook 416 thereon adapted to engage a dog"or 'detent 17 pivoted to the outer vend of Vsaid 'arm 12, said dogbeingtrapping jawsl 11 'when the trap is opened and to ble-retained 'by theho'ok 16 for keepingi said jaws in opened position.

18 designates the'usual spring which is formed of comparatively ythinspring material bent medially upon itself, as at 19,- and having`openings 20 in 'its free ends, 4these openings being adapted Ato receivethe upwardly bent ends 9 of the base plate or support 8. The two partsvof the spring tend toseparate, asshown by dot-ted lines in Fig. 2,butwhenthe jaws are opened and retained in open position by the dog ordetent 17, the spring'is compressed so lthat immediately the hook 16 is'disengaged from said dog or detent, the jaws will snap upwardly *andinwardly with considerable force. In order that the trap may not bevcarried away. by an animal trapped therein,, a loop 21 is secured tothe bentouter end of thespri'ng to which 'achain 22 'or' other' suitableretaining device may be secured. Y- v y'flue-trap thus'fardes'cribed iswhatmay adapted to lie'over one of the f said cylinder.

the pivots 10 of the trapping jaws are offset from the jaws and are madesomewhat longer than the pivots of the re that the extremities of thejaws proper are 'spaced from the upwardly bent ends 9 of the base plateor support 8. In order to offsetthe pivots, the ends of the U-shapedjaws 11 are bent or formed at right angles to the main or body portionof the jaws, as at 23, and these bent portions 28 are norinally spacedfrom the inner sides of the upwardly bent ends 9 ofthe base plate orsupport 8.

24 designates our improved fluid container and injecting device, or whatVmay be termed 'a puncturing element. In the drawings we have shown apair of these devices and each 'is of substantially U-for'rnation,having its intermediate portion 25 widened and made hollow to form asegmental chamber 26. The outer wall of each chamber has a thread- 'e'd'opening into which a plug 27 is threaded, the chamber being 'suppliedwith the injecting iiuid through this'opening, after removing the plug.The medial portion of said U-shaped element is bored out at regularintervals along the range of said segmental chamber, alternate boresserving as cylinders 28,"a`nd the bore therebetween providing receivingopenings 29, for a purpose to appear hereinafter;

Each Icylinder 28 1s connected with the .n

`segmental chamber 26 in the same puncturing elementjby passage `30, andtheouter end of each cylinder is threaded to receive van ejectornoZZle'Sll having a reduced inner 'end 312 forming a shoulder 33 and areduced outer end 34 whose'extremity is preferably machined at an'.angle, asv at 35, to form a. pointed prong; Within each cylinder 28 isa'l'iollo'w 'piston or plunger 36 'having a trigger stem 37 'extendingoutwardly through an 'axial -openin'gin the closed inner end of Y Eachpiston or plunger is reduced in diameter along the greater jporanoutwardly facingk slibulder B9 thereon, and surrounding the reducedportion of said piston or plunger is an 'expansion 'spring l0 whichbears with one end against the shoulether end' against the shoulder 39formed on said piston. This 'spring serves to normally retain the pistonin its innermost lposition 'with y'the trigger stem 37y projectdevice.The inner portion yof the nozale 31 fits into the open end 'of thepiston or plunger 36 and has a small axial bore )or passage l1-1. Thepiston is provided with lation trap so" tion of its length, as at 38, soas to form der 33 formed Von said nozzle and with its 'ing from theliuid container or injecting ,n

ports 42 which connect the interior of the j,

piston with the space surrounding the same ing the spring compressed.

and as the passage 30 connecting the piston with the segmental fluidchamber 26 provides fluid from said chamber to the space in saidcylinder surrounding said piston, the fluid is ted into thehollow-piston through the ports 4t2.

llVhen two fluid containers or injecting` devices are employed, one inconnection with each jaw of the trap, the cylinders 28 in one fluidcontainer will be opposite the receiving pockets 29 in the other, sothat when the jaws are closed and the fluid containers and ejectingdevices forced upwardly and inwardly with the jaws and ahead of them,the nozzles 31 of one fluid containerl may enter the pockets of theother, as clearly shown in Fig. 7, thus guarding the points of theprongs so as to prevent scratching of the party handling the trap. lViththe trap set as shown in Fig. 1, the jaws 11 will be retained in openposition by the dog or detent 17 and the hook 16 on the arm of the stepplate 15, said dog or detcnt lying over one ot the jaws and keep- At thesame time, the fluid containers and ejecting devices also assume whatmay be termed an open position, in which they lie against the tops ofthe jaws. An animal stepping upon the plate 15 will cause disengagementof the hook 16 on the arm 14 of said plate from the dog or detent 17,whereupon the upper halt ot' the spring 18 will snap upwardly from theposition shown in full lines in Fig. 2, to that shown in dotted lines,thereby quickly and forcibly moving the jaws and the liquid containersand ejecting devices into closed position. This results in at least oneof the pointed prongs being forced into the foot or leg of the animaland at the same time the forcible closing of the jaws will, by actingupon the triggerstems 37, move the plungers or pistons 36 outwardly,with the result that the poisonous fluitL within the plungers or pistonswill be ejected through the nozzle 31 and into the animal, the intentionbeing to cause instant or almost instant death of the animal and preventsuffering.

llhile we have shown tworflud containers and injecting devices, whichmay be termed fluid holding injecting devices, or puncturing devices, ina still broader sense, it is quite apparent that a single device of thiskind acting in conjunction with one of the jaws 11 may be used insteadof two, in which case one of the jaws may be provided with openings intoor through which the nozzles, prongs, or teeth, as they may be termed,may extend when the trap is closed; or any other arrangement may be usedwhich will permit the closing of the trap while placing thefluid-holding injecting device into action.

lt will also be apparent that each U- shaped puncturing device orelement may have a single cylinder and piston, and that the cylinder andpiston and the nozzle and stem associated therewith, or theirequivalents, may be considered fluid injecting` means associated withmeans carired by a jaw, or by the jaws of the trap and cio-actingtherewith.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is i 1. An animaltrap, comprising a pair oit spring-actuated jaws, and means carried byone of said jaws adapted to inject a fluid into the animal trapped bysaid jaws.

2. An animal trap, comprising a pair of spring-actuated jaws, and meanscarried and actuated by one of said jaws adapted to inject a fluid intothe animal trapped by said jaws.

3. An animal trap, comprising a pair of spring-actuated jaws, co-actingmeans carried by said jaws and movable' therewith, said co-acting meanshaving a fluid-injecting device adapted to be actuated when closing saidjaws.

1. An animal trap, comprising a pair of spring-actuated. jaws, andco-acting means carried by a jaw and movab-le therewith, said co-actingmeans having a fluid injecting device adapted to be actuated by saidjaws.

5. An animal trap, comprising a pair of pivoted jaws, means to retainsaid jaws in open position, means to forcibly close said jaws when saidretaining means is released, puncturing elements carried by the pivotsof said jaws and movable-with said jaws, said puncturing elementsincluding fluid injecting means associated therewith and adapted to beactuated when closing said jaws.

6. An animal trap, comprising a support, substantially U-shaped jawshaving pivots at opposite ends offset to the main or body portion of thejaws, said pivots being entered in said support, substantially U-shapedpuncturing elements pivotally secured to the pivots of said jaws andlying against said jaws when opened, a spring to forcibly close saidjaws and said puncturing elements to travel ahead of said jaws, saidpuncturing elements including means to eject a fluid when the jawsapproach their closing positions.

7. A steel trap having a pair of U-shaped jaws, a U-shaped elementmovable with each of said jaws and each having a fluid chamber, acylinder in communication with said fluid chamber, a puncturing prongextending from said cylinder and having a passage therethrough, a pistonwithin said cylinder movable in one direction by the closing movement ofsaid jaws, and a spring to move said cylinder in its other direction andretain the same at the end of its movement in said other direction.

S. An animal trap, comprising a pair of substantially Ushaped pivotedjaws, a pair oi substantially U-shaped punoturng elements carried bysaid jaws and adapted to close therewith, the medial portion of eachpuncturing element being made hollow to prov-ide a fluid' chamber and aseries of cylinders in communication with said fluid chamber, apuncturing prong threaded into one end oi' each cylinderj andI hav-ingan axial bore therethrough, piston in each cylinder having a triggerstern extending through the other end'of said? cylinder adapted to beengaged by the jaw carrying said j'aunct'uring. element, saidI pistonhaving a port through. which fluid is passed :trom said cylinder.- to heej eoted through the axial bore of said puncturing prong.

9. An animal trap, comprising a'f pair of pivotejd substantiallyUishap'ed jaws, a pair off substantially ULshap'ed puneturiing elementspi'votally connectedi to the pivotsl of said jaws, each punctu'ringelement'having itsl medial' portion provided with a fluid chamber andhaving a. series of hores arranged along-'saidchambera alternate horesserving'as cylinder-'s and the borestherebetween as receiving pockets, apassage connesting said flfuid' chamber with each of said cylinders, apuncturingp'rong for each cylinder having al passage opening into saidcylinder, a piston: within each cylinder having a reduced portionforming a shoulder and a port connecting the interior of the piston withsaid' cylinder, a spring between said puneturing prong and the shoulderof said piston for retain-ing said piston' at the end of its movementin: one direction and keeping the1 interior of said" piston incommunication withr the interior of said cylinder, and; ai trigger stemextending from said piston through;l said cylinder adapted to be engagedby the coacting jaw for forcibly moving said piston in its oppositedirection and' thereby eject; Huid from saidv piston throughv thepassage of said: puncturing prong.

An animaltrap; comprising a pair of jawsy having a chargev of injectingfluid adapted to'be injected. into an animal upon the closingY movementof said.r jaws.

In testimony whereof we aHiX our signatures'.

JOHN B. MULHOLLAND. BORSCHEL.

